Archived News:

Friday, Oct 04, 2013

A State of
SimCity address is up on the official website of EA Maxis
urban-planning series. The update, penned by Patrick Buechner, General Manager
of the Maxis Emeryville studio, discusses all the work that has gone into
the game since launch to better meet customer expectations, and how they will
continue refining the game going forward. It covers a lot of topics, but the
most notable takeaway is the admission they are rethinking the always-online
requirement that is the source of so much unhappiness, though they are not
promising it will go away. Here's word:

Right now we have a team
specifically focused on exploring the possibility of an offline mode. I can’t
make any promises on when we will have more information, but we know this is
something that many of our players have been asking for. While the server
connectivity issues are behind us, we would like to give our players the ability
to play even if they choose not to connect. An offline mode would have the
additional benefit of providing room to the modding community to experiment
without interfering or breaking the multiplayer experience.

The
Steam Community website has more details on plans for Steam hardware and the
prototypes they plan on shipping to testers. Here's a bit on the update from the
Steam hardware bunker:

So for our own first prototype Steam Machine (
the one we're
shipping to 300 Steam users ), we've chosen to build something special. The
prototype machine is a high-end, high-performance box, built out of
off-the-shelf PC parts. It is also fully upgradable, allowing any user to swap
out the GPU, hard drive, CPU, even the motherboard if you really want to. Apart
from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the same machine by
shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at
least a few people will do just that. (We'll also share the source CAD files for
our enclosure, in case people want to replicate it as well.)

And to be clear, this design is not meant to serve the needs of all of the tens
of millions of Steam users. It may, however, be the kind of machine that a
significant percentage of Steam users would actually want to purchase - those
who want plenty of performance in a high-end living room package. Many others
would opt for machines that have been more carefully designed to cost less, or
to be tiny, or super quiet, and there will be Steam Machines that fit those
descriptions.

Here are the specifications for Valve's 300 prototypes.

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components: GPU: some units
with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660 CPU: some boxes
with Intel : i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3 RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB
DDR5 (GPU) Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

As a hardware platform, the Steam ecosystem will change over time, so any
upgrades will be at each user's discretion. In the future we'll talk about how
Steam will help customers understand the differences between machines, hardware
strengths and weaknesses, and upgrade decisions.

Ice-Pick Lodge announces Knock-knock is now available
on Steam for Windows,
Linux, and OS X, and is discounted 15% off the full price for the next week.
They also offer
this new
trailer with gameplay, and here's an explanation of the game that knocks:

A wooden house stands in the forest. A single man lives there.

The house recieves visits from unusual guests that knock on the window inviting
this strange hermit to join them in a game of hide-and-seek. To win, simply
remain alive and maintain your sanity until sunrise. Approaching the Visitors
head-on is a dangerous idea.

As soon as the first Visitor emerges from the forest, the countdown begins.
Every passing hour brings them closer to the house, and the house's walls offer
no sanctuary. Something is already inside. Something is opening the window and
banging around in the kitchen. Something controls the cellar and attic.
Floorboards creak softly deep in the bowels of the house.

The Visitors are well aware of your position, so you must make your rounds of
the house and find the breaches that let the creatures inside while doing your
best to mend them.

You may come across some useful items that might help your survival, but those
items are always random and your inventory is limited to 5 slots, so your gear
changes by night.

Survive until sunrise and the monsters disappear, but if they get you before the
sun peeks over the horizon, well, just the idea is terrifying.

This trailer is
episode 6 in the web series of live action films promoting PAYDAY 2, the heist
sequel. Here's word: "Episode 6 of PAYDAY – the web-series is out now and draws
us closer into the seedy world of “Vlad and Gage.” Special Agent Griffin is
getting too close to CrimeNet...Bain sends Vlad to have a friendly chat with
her...but will she get the message? Co-op heist shooter PAYDAY 2 is out now on
Steam, PS3, 360, Playstation Network and Microsoft’s Games on Demand." Continue here to read the full story.

Irrational Games offers a
new live-action trailer from BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode One
teasing the upcoming DLC for BioShock Infinite, which visits Rapture, the
underwater setting of the first BioShock, and allows players to take on the role
of the previously non-playable Elizabeth. The new clip explores the origins of Rapture, saying: "Myles Bloom further explores the
mysteries surrounding the underwater city of Rapture in this “Fact from Myth”
segment. Who is the mysterious woman in upstate New York – and what is her
connection to the people in the painting?" Continue here to read the full story.

The Battlefield 4
Website announces the Battlefield 4 beta is now open to all who are
interested in checking out the next iteration of DICE's military shooter series.
Here's the beta overview
video, and the instructions for PC users are pretty simple, as the beta is
now available through the Origin client.
Word is: "If you’ve been logged in to Origin for a few days, you may want to hit
the "Reload" button in the upper left-hand corner to refresh your game library."
Here are the system requirements:

Iceberg Interactive announcesDark Matter will be released this month
for Windows, OS X, and Linux via digital distribution, saying there will also be
a boxed retail edition of the 2.5D survival platformer in western European
stores. Here's the pitch on the game:

Developed by InterWave Studios, Dark
Matter is set in a derelict spaceship inundated by a sinister alien presence and
infested with deadly parasites. As the Ensign, players must explore the adrift
spaceship Endeavour through echoing, fetid hallways and facilities, scavenging
for parts and blueprints, while expanding their arsenal and customizing their
combat style against the intelligent and reactive enemies.

Lightmare Studios announces an innovative way to spread the word about beta
testing of Infinity Wars, their upcoming card-based strategy game. Next
Friday they will issue a code to allow YouTube and Twitch users and their
viewers access to the game to participate in a weekend event involving live
streaming games on each network.
This update
has all the details, and on a related note, there's also a
new video previewing
features in a large content patch coming this month. This event will coincide
with a double XP weekend, and all participants will receive an account-bound
card pack perk, even if they previously had access to the game. Continue here to read the full story.

A problem in our downstairs toilet is forcing its replacement, as it would not
stop running in spite attempts to repair and replace its ancient inner workings.
The plumber says the new toilet will pay for itself very quickly in water bill
savings, which is cool. We'd break even on this even sooner if I was willing to
try installing it myself, but in spite of what a simple process this seems to
be, I don't have the experience or the nerve to attempt it for fear of the
floods and other horrors I'm imagining an error could cause. The other thing is
that this toilet is touted as one that can be abused without being clogged, so
it's good that I already learned my lesson about not flushing the wrong things,
so hopefully that experience will keep me out of trouble here.